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(No Model.)

F. G. EGHOLS. SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR LAMPS.

Patented Alig. 2, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK G. ECHOLS, OF WVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PLUME &ATVVOOD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,874, dated August2, 1892. Application filed March 3, 1892. Serial No. 4.23.569. (N0model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK G. ECHOLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at WVaterbury, in the county of New Haven and State ofConnecticut, have invented an Improvement in Suspension Devices forLamps, &c., of which the following is a specification.

In suspension devices for lamps the chains have been connected with aspringbarrel, so as to counterpoise the weight of the lamp, and pawlsand friction clutches orstops have been employedin a variety of ways forchecking the rotation of the spring-barrel, and in some instances thelamp has been moved laterally to connect or disconnect the devices thathold the barrel and to prevent the same rotating when the lamp-ishanging vertically.

My present invention relates to the co mbination, with the spring-barreland suspending devices, of a ball-stop within a recess that is narrowerat one end than the other, and the rotation of the spring-barrel tendsto carry the ball-stop into the narrower portion of the recess and stopthe further rotation of such spring-barrel, and when the lamp is drawndown the stop is rolled into the wider portion of-the recess, and it iscaused to remain there while the lamp is drawn up by'moving the lamplaterally and inclining the surface upon which the ball rests, so thatthe same tends to roll into the wider portion of the recess.

This device is very easily constructed, and it is strong and not liableto become injured in use.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the spring-barrel andsuspending devices. Fig. 2 is a vertical section at the line a; 00 ofFig. 3 is a detached View of the shoe. Fig. 4 is a plan View of amodification of the tapering recess, and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevationat the line y y of Fig. 4.

The yoke A is of any suitable character, having a suspending-loop 2 atthe upper end and adapted to receive through it the axis B of thespring-barrel C. This spring-barrel is rotated around the axis, one endof the spring C being connected to the axis or to the yoke and the otherend of the spring connected to the barrel, as usual in fixtures of thisgeneral character. It is advantageous to construct the parts so that theaxis of the spring-barrel is vertical, so that such spring-barrelrevolves horizontally. There are sheaves D, connected with the yoke A,and over which the chains E pass, and theends of these chains areconnected with the spring-barrel and pass down to the lamp or to theharp or other supporting or suspending device that receives the lamp.There may beprojections F upon the chain for limiting the upwardmovement of such chain by coming in contact with the ornamental crown orcap G, which incloses the spring-barreLand the parts connectedtherewith.

I make use of a ball I within a recess that is narrower at one end-thanthe ball and wider at the other end than the said ball. One side of therecess is a fixture and the other side of the recess moves with thespringbarrel, so that when the ball is carried by the movement of thespring-barrel into the narrower portion of the recess it forms a blockor stop by which the further movement of the spring-barrel is arrested,andwhen the springbarrel is moved in the opposite direction the ball isrolled toward the wider end of the recess and liberated, so that thespring-barrel may be rotated freely in either one direction or theother. The manner of applyingthis stop will depend upon the peculiarconstruction of the springbarrel; but when applied to a spring-barrelupon a vertical axis it is advantageous to provide the spring-barrelwith a cylindrical flange or rim 4 at its upper end and to connect withthe yokeAthe eccentric clamp H, which is above the spring-barrel andpermanently connected to the yoke A at the end that is farthest awayfrom the rim 4. This clamp may be in the form of a spring, so that itmayyield slightly at the end that is nearest to the rim 4. The spacebetween the rim 4 and the eccentric clamp H is the tapering recess intowhich the ball I is received, and these parts are in such a relation tothe springbarrel that when such spring-barrel is rotating to wind up thechains the ball I will be carried by such spring-barrel toward thenarrower end of the recess, and when the lamp is drawn down the ballwill be rolled away from the narrower end of the recess toward the widerend, and thereby the clamping action of the ball will be relieved, andwhen the lamp is moved laterally, so that the axis of thespring-barrelwill be inclined by the yoke swinging on thesuspending-loop 2 the ball will roll down toward the wider part of thesegmental recess and remain there out of action while the lamp is raisedor lowered until such time as the lamp is brought vertically, or nearlyso, beneath the suspending-loop, so that the ball will be carried intothe narrower part of the recess and stop the further rotation of thespring-barrel.

As an additional device for determining the action of the ball-stop, itis advantageous to place in the segmental recess a shoe K in the form ofa curved plate fitting loosely into the segmental recess and havingupturned end flanges 5 6, that prevent the shoe being moved endwise inthe recess by. the move ment of the spring-barrel in either direction.The ball rests upon the bottom. plate of this shoe, so as not to bemoved one way or the other by contact with the upper flat surface of thespring-barrel. Hence the ball will roll upon the shoe in either one wayor the other, according to the inclination of the shoe itself, and bymaking the narrower end of the shoe at a slight upward inclination theball will tend to roll away from the narrower part of such recess, so asto relieve the action of the ball as a stop, and the rolling of the ballin either one direction or the other will be regulated according to theinclination of the yoke and spring-barrel one way or the other.

I do not limit myself to the specific arrangement herein represented foremploying this ball-stop within the recess, as the same may be varied tosuit different characters of fixtures, and I remark that the foregoingdescription presupposes the spring to be more than sufficient tocounterpoise the weight of the lamp when full. Hence the ball-stop willprevent the spring winding up; butif the position of the parts arereversed and the spring is only sufficient to wind up the chains whenthe lamp is raised, the ball-stop may take the weight of the lamp. Thetapering recess is not necessarily segmental, the flat end of thespring-barrel can form one side of that tapering recess, and upon thisthe ball rests, as seen in Fig. 5, and above this is the cam or inclinedclamp 11, so as to stop the rotation of the ball and the spring-barrelby the ball being wedged into the space between the converging surfaces,and when the spring-barrel is rotated by the suspending-chains theballstop is rolled out from its position and can be caused to roll awayfrom the inclined clamp by inclining the axis of the spring-barrel, sothat its top surface will be an inclination away from the clamp H.

- I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a spring-barrel andsuspending devices, of a ball-stop within a horizontal recess that'isnarrower at one end than the other, one side of such recess being aportion of or connected with the spring-barrel and the other side astationary eccentric or clamp, the suspending device allowing thesurface on which the ball rests to be inclined to cause the ball to rollout of action, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the spring-barrel and suspending devices, of ayoke for receiving and sustaining the spring-barrel and its verticalaxis, sheaves upon the yoke over which the suspending-chains pass, a rimupon the upper end of the spring-barrel, and an eccentric clampconnected with the yoke, and a ball-stop between the rim and theeccentric clamp, substantially as set forth.

The combination, in a suspending device for lamps, of a yoke, aspring-barrel and axis carried by such yoke, a rim upon thespringbarrel, a stationary eccentric clamp permanently fastened at oneend, the other end being allowed to yield, and a ball-stop between theeccentric clam p and the rim, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination,in asuspension device for lamps, of a spring-barreland its axis, a yoke or frame for suspending such springbarrel, anannular flange or rim upon the spring-barrel, an eccentric clamp, a ballbe tween the eccentric clamp and the rim, and a shoe upon which suchball rolls, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 29th day of February, 1892.

FRANK G. EOHOLS.

Witnesses:

L. J. A'rwoon, J. H. I-IURLBUT.

